THE Muslims who remained in Mecca did not rest from persecution by their pagan Arabian kinsmen.
Despite this, the number of Muslims continued to multiply.
Muhammad was among them and he was receiving protection from his uncle Abu Talib who was a renowned rider and swordsman.
The fame of Muhammad and his teachings was now going beyond the borders of Mecca and reaching as far as Syria where Muhammad used to travel with trading goods.
At this time, Syria was under the hegemony of the Roman Empire.
The ka‘bah in Mecca was a monument that the descendants of Ishmael (Abraham’s son) visited for pilgrimage one month of every year to remember the worship of the one God, Allah.
Such practice could be compared to Zimbabweans of old meeting at the Great Zimbabwe to worship Mwari.
The sophisticated ancient stone monument was built by our great ancestors and continues to dazzle every generation that comes.
The stone monument is a symbol of the greatness of our past.
It speaks to the greatness of the Creator of the black man.
Such is the ka’bah.
On one such pilgrimage to the ka‘bah came a group of people from a city called Yathrib which was 200 miles away from Mecca.
These men had become Muslims and were eager to see their prophet Muhammad. Yathrib was the place where many black Judeans had settled after fleeing from Judea.
The black Judeans had settled close to their Sabaen kinsmen and had become one community with the Arabs.
The Judeans were mad at the ill-treatment and displacement they had suffered and they looked to the scriptures for signs of their redemption.
In several books of the Bible is written about a prophecy that says an Ishmaelite (Arabian) would be chosen (anointed) by the Lord as Christ after Yahshua, and before the coming of the Son of man in the last days.
Yahshua said, “I must do this day, the next day, and then the day following.”
This means there are three appearances of the Christ (Anointed Saviour).
The first is that of Yahshua when his host was crucified by the Romans and Pharisees.
The second coming of Christ was in the form of Muhammad.
This is what has been systematically censored from the Christians by the white man.
The third prophesied coming of Christ is the one that most Christians are waiting for.
Among the great black prophets of ancient times was Enoch, the seventh descendant from Adam.
In Genesis, Enoch is said to have been taken from the earth by God because of his righteousness.
He wrote a book before his final ascension and left it for his sons, but the book was about future events that his descendants would experience.
The book of Enoch contains prophecies of all the prophets to come and states what they will do respectively.
These included clear prophecies of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Yahshua, and Muhammad.
Enoch also writes about things that are yet to happen in and after our current generation.
I mention the book of Enoch because it is the one which clearly spoke of Christ (Anointed one) appearing in a branch of Abraham which was not Israel.
Enoch saw future events and to explain them he spoke in parables.
These included a parable of weeks and a parable of animals.
In this book Ishmael is a wild ass and Israel a white sheep.
The Sabaens used the book of Enoch and it was in Saba where the existing copies were found.
Saba is modern day Yemen.
The Arabians of Yathrib had taken up Islam mainly based on their belief in the fulfillment of prophecy.
When they heard of Muhammad’s righteous teachings and exemplary ways, it did not take long for them to identify him as the prophesied one.
The Sabaens and black Judeans had warned their oppressors, the pagan worshippers and idolaters that a prophet would soon come from among the Arabs, and when he comes, they would destroy the heathens.
When the Muslims from Yathrib met Muhammad, they were more certain than ever that he was indeed the prophesied one.
After the pilgrimage was over, they returned to Yathrib and told of what they had seen and heard in Mecca.
By the time of the next season of pilgrimage, there were people going to Mecca for the sole purpose of seeing Muhammad.
Throughout this time, Muhammad and the Muslim community were constantly being persecuted and their Arabian kinsmen had turned against them.
The hostile Meccans even tried to offer Abu Talib the best of their young men in exchange for his nephew Muhammad’s life, but he refused.
They spoke of assassinating him, but they feared the blood debt (ngozi) that would fall on their tribes.
Eventually they brought forth a document which forbade contact of any sort with the Muslims.
This meant no one would buy or sell from a Muslim and Muslims were not allowed to preach publicly.
Most of the Meccans signed this documented and they displayed it at the ka‘bah. So for about three years, the Muslims were isolated and sanctioned and Muhammad was only allowed to preach publicly during the time of pilgrimage.
Clearly, Mecca was not working out for Muhammad and when the Muslims from Yathrib came to see the prophet in their numbers, he was touched. Muhammad had been rejected by his hometown but was loved elsewhere.
In the words of Yahshua, ‘A prophet is never great in his own land’.
The Muslims from Yathrib swore allegiance to Muhammad and Muhammad gave them a Muslim teacher who they returned with to Yathrib.
Soon after that, the whole land of Yathrib was filled with talk of Muhammad and in the next season of pilgrimage, the Yathrib Muslims sent a delegation of 73 Muslims to vow their allegiance to the prophet and to invite him to their city.
At a place called Al – Aqabah, by night, these Muslims swore to defend Prophet Muhammad as they wound defend their own wives and children.
Muhammad again looked upon the persecution of the Muslims in Mecca and made up his mind.
He accepted the invitation to Yathrib, but on condition that the rest of the willing Muslims could come too.
They gladly accepted and every Muslim who was capable began selling all their property and fleeing from their persecution in Mecca.
The Muslims who left last were Prophet Muhammad, Ali and Abu Bakr.
Abu Bakr was a wealthy man who had set up camels for their coming journey to Yathrib and Ali was a relative of Muhammad.
When the Meccans found out that Muhammad wanted to go to Yathrib, they dreaded what he might become and sought to assassinate him before he left.
They called upon the tribesman and leaders of Qureysh, the tribe that Muhammad belonged to.
Together the tribesmen of Qureysh struck an agreement that they would bring forth a slayer from each clan.
All these were to attack and strike Muhammad together so as to share Muhammad’s blood debt (ngozi) with all Qureysh.
It had been 13 years since Muhammad had his first vision and started preaching. His uncle and chief protector Abu Talib had passed away and he was now left alone in Mecca.
However Muhammad did not fear and remained faithful in Allah.
Until this time, Muhammad had not fought back but he did prophesy that the Muslims were going to fight the heathen until all victory is for Allah, in that very generation.
Muhammad told Ali to pretend he was Muhammad because the assassins had been stocking him outside his house.
They were waiting for Muhammad to come out and then kill him.
Muhammad knew that the tribesmen of Qureysh would not harm Ali after finding him out because they sort only the life of the prophet who tormented them.
By the time the assassins found out that it was Ali and not Muhammad in the house, Muhammad had already fled and hid.
Abu Bakr’s children and herdsmen would send him food and water.
After a few days hiding, the assassins’ trail got very close to Muhammad’s hiding place and when the coast was clear, Muhammad, Ali and Abu Bakr immediately set off for their long camel ride to Yathrib.
After travelling for many days in hidden paths, Muhammad and his men arrived at a suburb of Yathrib.
While there people would go and see the prophet from morning until the heat chased them away.
One day, after the watchers had left, there arrived a black Judean traveller. He went to where Muhammad was standing and yelled out in a derisive tone; “He who we have been expecting has at last arrived!”
This period of flight from Mecca to Yathrib took place in 622 CE and is remembered as the Hijrah.
It was the turning point of Muhammad’s movement and is marked as the beginning of the Muslim year by Arabian Muslims.